BLAIRSVILLE -- Tucker Williams didn't mind admitting it -- he was exhausted after chasing Union County's high-flying offense up and down the field. <br />
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But the Rabun County linebacker exhorted his teammates to make one stand -- and the Wildcats did so in emphatic fashion.<br />
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With less than seven minutes remaining, Rabun stoned Union County quarterback Joseph Mancuso on fourth and 1 from the Rabun 1-yard line and rode the stand to a 45-31 victory over the Panthers in Blairsville.<br />
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"We talked about it during the timeout right before that play -- this one play means everything. This is why we work all summer, this is what we sacrifice for," Williams said. "We were all tired, but by God we pushed through it and came up with the win."<br />
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Both defenses were sucking wind after a contest that featured over 900 yards of offense -- 541 of that for the Wildcats, but Rabun County managed to pull away over the final quarter, notching 14 unanswered points to secure the victory. The Wildcats scored on four of five possessions after halftime --- to stay in front of a wild shootout with the Panthers, their goal line stand sparking a 99-yard drive to put the contest away. And most of the late damage came from standout athlete Charlie Woerner, who scored the clinching touchdown.<br />
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"That was just an awesome stand for our defense, and our offense kept on going -- I knew we would have to out-score them," Wildcats coach Lee Shaw said. "That was a tough, tough, tough Union team, and we knew we couldn't make many mistakes -- we did there early, but we really made up for it late."<br />
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The win vaulted the Wildcats into sole possession of first place in Region 8-AA and set up a gripping finish to the regular season for Rabun -- which now faces Washington-Wilkes and Greene County to close out the campaign.<br />
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"We still have a mountain to climb," Shaw said. "But that's why we played a tough early season schedule to be ready for games like this."<br />
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Both teams were ready from the start on Friday, as the programs traded blows en route to a 17-14 halftime lead for the Wildcat that proved just a warm-up for an even wilder second half.<br />
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Mancuso did his best to keep Union County's undefeated season intact, riddling the Wildcats for 291 yards and two scoring passes, while Chase Barnett also ripped off a touchdown run. Mancuso finished completing 22 of 38 passes -- to eight different receivers -- while Barnett and Mancuso combined for 102 yards rushing. Sam Gilbert led the Union receiving corps with six catches for 45 yards.<br />
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The Panthers also scored on defense, but could not keep pace in the fourth quarter -- as a time-consuming drive that would have tied the game coming up inches short, setting the stage for Woerner to kill the contest. The junior finished with 163 yards rushing and two scores, while also catching three passes for 43 yards, despite missing some first-half snaps with a knee injury.<br />
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"When he went out everyone else had to pick things up, and they did," Shaw said. "It showed we're not a one-man team. Everyone got in the groove for us."<br />
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Quarterback Collin Grant completed 14 of 20 passes for 257 yards and two scores for the Wildcats, while also rushing for 53 yards and a score. Alden Wright also caught five passes for 81 yards and a score.<br />
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"We're hitting our peak, and so is Union; that's why this was just a great game," Shaw said. "And it was great that we got so much publicity for it. It was great for both communities."<br />
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Each team found its offensive rhythm at the start, as the Wildcats and Panthers combined to score on the first three possessions. The visitors exploded out of the gates, Grant lofting a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jack Johnson less than 1:30 into the contest, as the senior bought time and found his receiver wide open behind the defense for a 7-0 lead.<br />
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Union County fired right back, however, piecing together a methodical, 15-play drive capped by a four-yard scoring strike from Mancuso to Robert Prunier to knot the score with 4:10 left in the first quarter. Yet the Wildcats were happy to one-up the Panthers, marching 71 yards in 11 plays to move back in front 14-7 on a two-yard run from Grant with just :03 left in the quarter.<br />
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The game slowed down at the start of the second quarter -- but only for the briefest of moments, as Union punted away but then pounced on a Rabun fumble five plays later. The turnover sparked a 40-yard touchdown pass from Mancuso to Jacob Rogers (4 receptions, 62 yards) and leveled the score at 14-14. Rabun got in the last word of the half, however, as Froy Hernandez connected on a 37-yard field goal with just 1:04 remaining to put the Wildcats in front 17-14 at the interval.<br />
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Turns out the first half was merely a warm up for the two offenses, as they combined to score 31 points in the third quarter, trading blows like prize fighters. The Panthers took their first
